Heartbeats
by rac0nteur
Summary: Lydia Martin is sure she doesn't need Isaac Lahey. Until she does. Then what? ONE-SHOT


Lydia Martin wasn't someone who gave people second chances. So why was it that a certain curly haired, blue-eyed werewolf was able to make her do so without even trying?

It irritated her, to say the least, that he had this power over her. None of her previous boyfriends or flings made her feel even close to how she felt around him. Lydia – being the genius she had the reputation of being – deducted from the beginning that even trying to be anything relatively close to friends with the werewolf was a bad idea, considering he'd tried to kill her on several occasions.

And for a while, that mindset worked for her. She avoided contact with him and didn't even spare him a glance unless absolutely necessary. It seemed that he'd been set on doing the same, making it even easier for her to do so.

* * *

One day in the office, the two were wordlessly bent over the paper, trying to figure out any connections between the murders that'd been occurring and finding none, which was really starting to irk them.

"Can someone pass me a pencil?" Lydia asked no one in particular.

Soon after, a pencil was held near her face and she looked up to see who had brought her one.

When she met large blue eyes from across the table, she hesitated, but she gave him a thin smile and grabbed the other end of the pencil gently. Her fingers lightly brushed his and she felt a pleasant shock go up her arm. She jolted and Isaac seemed to feel it too, his arm twitching slightly. Lydia quickly covered it up and pulled the pencil from his grip.

When her head was faced back downwards toward the map, she felt her heart start beating overtime. She knew Isaac could hear, being a werewolf and all, but she couldn't control it. The feeling of his skin against hers was different.

The idea of that scared her, but what scared her even more was that she wanted to feel the contact again. Even if just a tiny brush of shoulders as they passed or accidentally touching hands as they walked side by side. This feeling was a jump from Lydia and Isaac trying to avoid each other like the plague, but they both knew that now that they've felt something like this, avoiding each other would be too difficult to handle.

Suddenly the table shook as Isaac tried to move the map more towards him, causing Lydia's pencil to jerk upwards on the paper, messing up her writing.

"I'm sorry," Isaac said quietly. Lydia looked up at him and pursed her lips. To anyone else, it was a simple apology for screwing up her work, but to them, it meant more. It was an apology for everything he'd done and for some reason, Lydia's heart skipped a beat at the realization.

"It's okay," she said sincerely, sending him a genuine smile. "I forgive you." In honesty, Lydia was done holding a grudge against the poor boy. He'd proven himself to Scott and everyone else, so why should she stay angry?

Isaac's shoulders sagged as if she'd just taken the world off his shoulders and he mimicked her smile adorably.

No one else noticed this exchange between the two, all being too busy trying to fix the problems at hand. They also didn't notice the growing smiles on the faces of the two people bent over the map, their hands brushing more than they should've and their eyes glancing at each other almost every minute.

From that moment on, Isaac and Lydia took the opportunity and grew closer. They started off with regular, polite conversations about the matters at hand, but Isaac didn't miss the way her heart would speed up when they talked and Lydia didn't miss the way he nervously scratched the back of his neck when he saw her. Everyone was convinced that their conversations were strictly business, and while the words were definitely so, they merely wished for each other's presence.

* * *

When she pulled up with Stiles in his car to the Beacon Hills Preserve, Lydia couldn't help but send Isaac worried looks. The three who had sacrificed their lives for their parents hadn't been in their most stable states of mind as of late, and the pair was worried that they wouldn't be able to pull through.

Still, Isaac pushed the feeling back and gave Lydia one reassuring smile after another, though none of them seemed to ease her, maybe only slightly if at all. When Scott suddenly sped off on his bike, Isaac and Allison soon following behind, Lydia's nerves returned at the missing presence of the blue-eyed beta.

When Stiles went on about some doll the coyote apparently had taken a liking to, Lydia could only sigh at the irrelevance. Though the irrelevant soon became relevant when Stiles showed her the picture of Malia and her little sister with the item in question. The doll. The one Stiles had taken from the wreck site. Coming to a sudden epiphany as to what Malia's motives were, the two humans stared at each other, their minds reeling.

"I've gotta go tell Scott," Stiles said hurriedly, turning towards the woods and running in Scott's direction, leaving the strawberry blonde behind.

"Stiles, wait!" she called out, but he was too far-gone to hear her. Lydia groaned and followed Stiles, her feet crinkling the dead leaves underneath them as she speed walked through the forest.

About five minutes in the forest, with still no sign of anyone she came with, Lydia heard a loud scream of pain that sounded suspiciously like…

"Isaac?!" she yelled out. Her heart beat quicker as the thought of him getting hurt came to mind and she started walking more frantically than before. As she walked she frantically repeated his name, Isaac's pained scream echoing in her mind.

She froze when she stepped forward and heard a click. Lydia didn't dare move as she shakily looked down at her right foot that was positioned in the middle of an animal trap. Her heart started to beat impossibly faster than before, tears gathering in her eyes and her breathing ragged, and she vaguely began to wonder if one of these days she'd have a heart palpitation from the over excessive beating of her heart.

"Oh my god," she repeated under her breath, trying to stay frozen in place, which was getting exceedingly difficult as her body trembled.

Even from miles away and even with his ankle clamped between two sharp arches of metal, Isaac could hear Lydia call out his name. His heart ached at the worry in his voice and he longed to let her know he was okay. Each time she called out for him, his chest constricted and he barely even noticed Allison rushing up to him.

"Isaac!" Allison gasped. "Oh god, your ankle." Isaac groaned as another shot of pain went up his leg and suddenly he could hear Lydia's heart beat faster and faster than he thought possible.

_Thump thump. Thump thump._

In the back of his mind, he wasn't surprised that he could hear it. Since she'd forgiven him, it was easy for him to pinpoint Lydia's scent, voice, and heartbeat. Then he noticed that it was only growing faster with each second. Isaac could hear her uneven breathing and the mutterings of fear from under her breath.

"Lydia's in trouble," he said through clenched teeth. Allison stared at him, surprised for a second, then hardened her expression. "I have to help her."

"You're stuck there, Isaac," Allison reasoned. "Unless you want to tear off your-" She was interrupted by the sudden golden glow of Isaac's eyes as he pried the clamp off his bleeding ankle, freeing himself.

He stood up shakily, carefully putting weight on his ankle. "I'll find her," he said determinedly, sprinting in the direction of Lydia's heartbeat. As it grew louder and the pain in his ankle grew stronger, he only pushed on, set on saving the girl who somehow found it in her to forgive him.

Isaac skidded to a stop when he saw Lydia a few feet away from him, her body stiff and her foot in the middle of the very same type of trap that'd encaged his ankle not too long ago. She looked up and saw him, relief flooding her features, even with tears pooling in her eyes.

"Lydia," he said, rushing over to her and kneeling by the contraption, trying to find a way to get her out without it closing on her. "I'll get you out."

"Isaac," she whimpered. "I heard you scream and I-I thought you got hurt and, oh god, I'm so glad you're okay." He looked up at her and they simply looked at each other, affection radiating from their stares.

"Are you seriously worrying about _me?_ You're the one in the middle of a trap here," he huffed, examining the trap once more. "I won't let you get hurt, okay?" His voice was much softer and even, he hoped. She let out a small sound, which he took as a 'yes'.

"There are instructions somewhere on the side," her voice was slow, unstable. "It'll tell you how to shut it off, or at least stall it."

Isaac looked up at the strawberry blonde, an eyebrow quirked. "Why are there instructions on a trap?" he asked.

"Because animals can't read," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it was, and he swore he saw her lips quirk upwards. He sent her a sarcastic smirk before searching for said instructions. When he found them, he thanked every god out there that he wasn't suffering the effects Stiles was, the ones that rendered him unable to read.

"O-Okay," Isaac said as he saw the valve that was connected to a wire that set the trap off. "You ready, Lyds?" He looked up at her and noticed her features soften at the nickname as she nodded. Though she seemed sure of his abilities, he could feel the nerves coming off her body in waves.

Shakily, Isaac positioned his hand on the valve and spared one more nervous glance at the girl above him. She gave him a reassuring nod and he took a breath before turning it quickly. As soon as his hand left the valve, he grabbed Lydia by the waist and pulled her into him, moving her foot out of the trap just as it shut.

The two merely stared down at the trap, his arms around his waist and hers around his neck, their breathing uneven. Lydia and Isaac turned to look at each other and relief was apparent in their eyes as he pulled her closer to him, pressing her head against his chest.

Lydia let herself be engulfed by the werewolf, the sound of his heartbeat under her ears more of a consolation than anything else. Then, her green eyes drifted to his ankle, which was covered in blood. She pulled away from Isaac abruptly and smacked his arm.

"Ow," he groaned, rubbing his bicep. "I save you and that's the thanks I get?" Lydia glared at him and pointed at his ankle. He followed her finger and paled at how much blood had gathered since before.

"You're an idiot," she said gently. "You said you weren't hurt, Isaac." He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged, unable to make an excuse for himself. In truth, Isaac didn't think it'd help anything if he told her that he was too worried for her welfare to even care about his injury.

"It'll heal," he said instead and she shook her head. Isaac bowed his head so he could look at her downturned face. "Hey, I'm okay. I'm just glad you're safe."

Her eyes flickered to his and she let out a tight smile. Lydia was suddenly very aware of how close their faces were, and the two inches between their noses was much too far for her liking.

A loud roar broke them apart from each other and Lydia stumbled backwards awkwardly. The roar lasted a good minute and Lydia noticed Isaac's eyes glowing golden.

"Atta boy, Scott," he said, a grin growing on his face. Lydia sighed. They were so close and she would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed that their moment hadn't lasted longer. Isaac noticed her expression and pulled her back into his arms.

Lydia's breath hitched in her throat, but her arms found their way around his torso. "You sure you're okay?" he breathed into her ear and she could feel his lips brushing against it ever so slightly.

"Y-Yeah," she croaked. "I'm fine." Still, her arms tightened and he allowed her to hold him, his own breath getting caught in his throat at the feeling of her neck underneath his forehead.

"Lydia? Isaa-whoa," Stiles' voice called out from nearby and the two pulled away reluctantly, facing the hyperactive boy who was now looking back and forth between them rapidly. "W-We, uh, Allison said you two were in trouble so we, um, were looking for you, and um, apparently you're okay, so uh-"

"Stiles!" Lydia cut off with a roll of her eyes and he looked at her with a small 'huh?'. "You're rambling. And now you've found us. So can we go now?" Stiles nodded vigorously, turning around and leading the two back to the front sign of the preserve.

* * *

Despite Isaac's comfort after their mishap at the preserve, Lydia found herself sitting on her bed lifelessly, Isaac's pained filled scream still clear in her head. Even though he turned out okay, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle hearing that scream again. She wouldn't let a noise that heartbreaking, that nerve wracking, escape his lips again.

That's when Lydia realized the depth of her concern for Isaac. She thought it was pure attraction to the boy that kept her stuck around him, but no, it was much more than that. It was deeper. It was care. Because, goddammit all, Lydia cared about Isaac Lahey. And though it was never stated directly out loud, she knew he reciprocated this feeling. It was sort of unsettling that his pain made her come to this epiphany.

When her window jolted open, she jumped three feet in the air, broken out of her thoughts, with a yelp. Lydia got up warily, ready to release her Banshee scream at a moments notice. It wasn't until blue eyes met green that her shoulders relaxed and the fearful expression on her face turned into a slightly annoyed, but secretly happy, one.

"You alright there?" Isaac asked with a grin, still sitting on her windowsill. "Didn't mean to scare you." She laughed sarcastically and sat back on her bed, eyeing the beta carefully.

"No offense," she started, "but why are you in my room? I saw you like three hours ago." Isaac shrugged and got off the windowsill, instead opting to throw himself onto her bed next to her, grunting as his back made impact with the mattress.

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him fondly, crossing her legs so she was sitting Indian style as she faced him. "You have a really bad habit of making yourself at home, you know that?" she remarked. Again, he shrugged, but this time with a charming smile.

"To answer your previous question, I just came to make sure you were okay," he said. Lydia rubbed her hands together on her lap and pursed her lips.

"I'm fi-"

"No you're not," he cut off. Not rudely, just knowingly. "Don't tell me you're fine, Lyds. We both know you're not. Don't act like I didn't see you giving me those glances in the car home."

Lydia's eyes drifted to her lap and she sighed. "It's nothing, really," she said weakly. "It's actually pretty stupid." Isaac propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her, his expression unreadable.

"I doubt that," he said. "C'mon, tell me."

When she didn't reply, Isaac rolled his eyes. "Lydia. Please don't shut me out."

"I'm not shutting you out," she snapped, eyes narrowing. "I'm just scared, okay? And I hate when I'm scared because I start to feel like the weak little girl people expect me to be." Her voice weakened and she was staring at Isaac full on, pleadingly almost.

"What are you scared of?" he placed his hand on hers gently. He noticed how her hands were trembling, though she tried to hide it, and he gripped it tighter, trying to get her to stop.

"You," she whispered. "I'm scared of you." Isaac withdrew his hand as if she was a hot iron that'd just burned him and her eyes shot up to meet his, the hurt already apparent on his features as he sat up straighter on the bed.

"W-What?" he asked. Exactly what he didn't want to happen, happened. Isaac managed to make the one person he wanted to feel safe scared of him.

Lydia's eyes widened and she quickly started to shake her head. "No, no, no," she said repeatedly. "I'm not scared of _you_, Isaac. I'm scared of how you make me _feel._" Isaac's ears seemed to perk up like a puppy's and he looked at her in astonishment.

"How I make you…feel?" he said slowly, as if trying to digest the concept. In honesty, Lydia was still trying to comprehend it herself, but she nodded, grasping his large hand in both of hers.

"I don't even know how I feel about you," she admitted and he seemed to deflate, but he was still curious. "All I know is that it's so different than anyone else. It's so overwhelming that it scares me."

Isaac quirked an eyebrow, relishing in the little shocks the feel of her fingers drawing shapes on the back of his hand sent up his arm. "Different, bad? Or different, good?" he asked, voice portraying all the fear that he felt that it'd be the former.

"Good," she didn't hesitate. "Really good." He opened his mouth to reply as the smile grew on his face, but she continued. "I'm sure you've heard it, but my heart beats 10 miles a minute around you and I get this feeling in my stomach that seems to come and go when you do. Something about you makes everything so much better for me and I don't know how or why this happened, but I don't want it to stop and-"

Isaac's warm chuckle cut her off and her mouth snapped shut, heat coloring her face a nice shade of red. Lydia licked her lips nervously and looked anywhere but him. "You're laughing at me," she said bluntly, shame radiating off her body in waves.

"Aw, Lyds," he cooed. "I'm only laughing because it's cute when you ramble." Lydia took one hand out of his and smacked his stomach, causing him to groan and fall back onto the bed.

"I literally tell you all my feelings and that's all you have to say?" she said indignantly, but that didn't keep the grin off her face.

Isaac's lips were drawn into a thin line. "I'm not good with the whole 'letting people in' thing," he said honestly.

Lydia shifted on the bed and gripped his hand gently. "Okay, well then you should start with me. Tell me something, Isaac," she said.

"Like what?" he glanced from the ceiling to her curiously.

"Like…" she drifted off. "What's your favorite color?"

"Oh, now that's just stepping over the line," he said teasingly. She shook her head in amusement and poked his side.

"Seriously, what is it?" she prodded.

"Orange," he replied without hesitation.

"Like, bright orange?" she asked with slight distaste.

He chuckled. "No, more of a calmer orange. Like a sunset orange."

"You pretentious bastard," Lydia replied. "That's red." They shared a look before bursting into peals of laughter, Lydia falling on her back beside Isaac, clutching her stomach with her free hand.

Lydia felt all of her worries drift away within that moment of pure happiness. It'd been a while since she'd truly let herself laugh with someone, much less Isaac. But something about him made things slightly easier for her to handle.

As the laughter dissolved into occasional chuckles, the two laid there side by side, hands intertwined. They said nothing, though nothing really needed to be said in the first place. Lydia scooted closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, burying her face in his chest. He stayed quiet, but the small smile on his face said it all. Isaac took his hand from hers and wrapped it around her, pulling her in closer, relishing in her scent of apples and cinnamon.

"By the way," he whispered as his other hand stroked her hair. "I feel the same way about you." Isaac felt her smile through his white v-neck. Again, silence coated the air and the banshee-beta pair was content for the first time in god knows how long.

"You still have to tell me something about yourself," she mumbled. "I'm not going to let you forget." Isaac chuckled at her stubbornness and kissed the top of her head. He wasn't going to let himself forget it either.

* * *

**AN:** _**Whoaaaa. Since this is my first story on FF, I may just keep this a One-Shot, but if ya'll want it to be a whole story, you guys can tell me so in your reviews. **_

_**Hope you all liked it! Please review and favorite if you can (:**_

**xx**


End file.
